Former Lincoln Center President Reynold Levy to Speak September 28

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Reynold Levy

Internationally recognized philanthropy leader Reynold Levy will present a public lecture in Indianapolis September 28 under the auspices of the Stead Family Chair in International Philanthropy at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Levy recently completed a 13-year tenure as president of New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts during which he led the $1.2 billion transformation of the Manhattan landmark that is home to 11 world-class performing arts organizations and educational institutions, including The Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet and The Juilliard School. His new book, They Told Me Not to Take That Job: Tumult, Betrayal, Heroics and the Transformation of Lincoln Center, relates the adventures, opportunities and challenges of leading a complex, iconic international nonprofit organization.

During his distinguished career, Levy has been president of the International Rescue Committee (where he continues to serve on the board of overseers), executive director of New York’s 92nd Street Y, senior officer of AT&T in charge of government relations, president of the AT&T Foundation and staff director of the Task Force on the New York City Fiscal Crisis.

“The range and depth of Dr. Levy’s accomplishments in leading globally significant institutions makes him the ideal first speaker in our venture to enhance the understanding of international philanthropy,” said Amir Pasic, Eugene R. Tempel Dean of the school.

In his remarks, “Two and a Half Cheers: The Triumph of America’s Third Sector and Its Twenty-first Century Challenges,” Levy will offer insights into today’s nonprofit sector, share stories and lessons learned from his career in nonprofit and for-profit leadership and discuss cultural differences in philanthropy around the world. His latest book will be available for purchase and signing before and after the lecture.

The event, the first in a series of four public lectures by leading experts during the 2015-2016 academic year, will be held on Monday, September 28 at 5:30 p.m. in the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Campus Center Theater, 420 University Boulevard in Indianapolis. It is free and open to the public. Reservations are appreciated. RSVP to sopevent@iupui.edu.

Currently Levy is an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International Affairs, a consultant to nonprofit institutions and foundations and a senior advisor to General Atlantic, a private equity firm. He is chairman of the board of the Charles H. Revson Foundation, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a trustee of the National Book Foundation, a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Tony Awards Nominating Committee.

Levy is the author of three other books, Yours for the Asking: An Indispensable Guide to Fundraising and Management, Give and Take: A Candid Account of Corporate Philanthropy, and Nearing the Crossroads: Contending Approaches to American Foreign Policy. He has served on the boards of several dozen nonprofits, including Independent Sector and the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He has been a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School and has taught nonprofit management, law and political science at Columbia University, New York University and The City University of New York.

A graduate of Hobart College, Levy holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia and a law degree from Columbia University. Among his many honors are Hobart College’s Alumni Medal of Excellence, awarded to only 20 graduates in the school’s 125-year history, The International Rescue Committee’s Freedom Award, Columbia University’s Lawrence A. Wien Prize for Social Responsibility and Lincoln Center’s Laureate Award.

The Stead Family Chair in International Philanthropy is a gift from Jerre and Mary Joy Stead and their family through the Stead Family Foundation. It increases global understanding of philanthropy across borders and within cultures around the world and generates opportunities to establish new global partnerships, ensuring that the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy remains at the forefront of the study of international philanthropy. It attracts scholars with outstanding expertise in the field as well as top students and professionals interested in philanthropy around the world. The school is hosting a series of lectures under the auspices of the Stead Family Chair in International Philanthropy to share insights into global philanthropy with the local and international community.

About the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy is dedicated to improving philanthropy to improve the world by training and empowering students and professionals to be innovators and leaders who create positive and lasting change. The school offers a comprehensive approach to philanthropy through its academic, research and international programs and through The Fund Raising School, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving and the Women’s Philanthropy Institute. Follow us on Twitter @IUPhilanthropy and “Like” us on Facebook.